COUNTRY ROADS BRING THE SHIRES TO HEBCELT
Just a few years ago, Crissie Rhodes and Ben Earle were solo artists trying to make their way in music, living 20 miles apart and heading in different directions.
Fate - and Facebook - then intervened, brought the two singer songwriters together and re-set their sat nav onto a road to success.
Today, The Shires are country music Royalty, feted both in the UK and in Nashville, the genre’s spiritual home. They have spearheaded a musical explosion in this country, broken records and paved the way for a new generation of singers.
But the duo, who are one of the headline acts at the award-winning Hebridean Celtic Festival in July, initially had difficulty convincing people the country road was the one they should be following.
“Even our friends and family said that we were mad when we told them we wanted to write and sing country music here in the UK”, admits Crissie. “But it’s been a privilege to see how much the genre has grown and how the age range now spans from little children to grandparents and everyone in between.”
The fateful meeting came in 2013 when Crissie answered Ben’s social media appeal for a female singer. He was a recent convert to country music, having previously had a record deal as a pop singer aged 17 and had tried his luck on X Factor.
Crissie, a life-long country fan, was performing covers at weddings, pubs and private parties at the time and had also appeared on X Factor a year after Ben.
The pair, from the neighbouring counties of Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire, met up the next day and The Shires were born. “We knew right from the first day of meeting that we had something special between us and complimented each other very well”, Crissie remembers.
“It was very exciting. It felt like the first time we could openly discuss our love for so many amazing country songs. We knew right then, we were onto something.”
A year later they were signed to Decca Records in the UK and then became the first British country act to sign to a major Nashville label when they were snapped up by Universal Music Group Nashville.
With their debut album, ‘Brave’, The Shires were the first British country group to have a top ten album in the pop charts and their second album, ‘My Universe’, became the fastest-selling UK country album in history. They were also the first UK country act to receive an award from the American Country Music Association and they have presented awards at the C2C (Country to Country) event.
Their third album, ‘Accidentally on Purpose’, released last year, was made in Nashville and features a track, ‘Stay the Night’ which was written by Ed Sheeran who is one of the many leading writers who are fans. They head back there this month to write their fourth album.
The Shires’ success has helped propel country music in the UK from old fashioned to cool. The inaugural C2C festival held in London in 2013 sold 17,000 tickets, while last year’s event in London, Dublin and Glasgow over three days, attracted more than 80,000 people.
At the same time, they have wedged open the door for new acts such as Ward Thomas, Wildwood Kin, Robbie Cavanagh and Catherine McGrath.
“We’ve had an amazing time being at the forefront of the country music movement”, said Crissie. “The genre is so broad now with cross genres such as blues-country, pop-country, rock-country and folk-country. There really is something for everyone.
“Attitudes have changed slightly in the time we’ve been together. For years we were really trying to make people in the UK understand that country music now isn’t just about the rhinestones, cowboys and dancing.
“Many people would laugh at us or be surprised that we, as young people, enjoyed the genre. However, in the past few years, with the likes of the TV show ‘Nashville’ and so many American acts who are crossing the pond to play, the genre has found its home over here.
“So many times we would hear fans say ‘I was a closet country fan’ but now fans up and down the country are proud to listen to, promote and be a part of the genre.
“To us, success is being in it for the long haul. Watching the genre grow, seeing more festivals supporting country music, hearing country music more frequently on TV and radio and, for us, getting to play bigger venues and seeing more and more people enjoying themselves at our shows.”
Their appearance at HebCelt will be their debut in the islands, so what can the audience expect? “Our sole purpose is to have a great time. We want to spread happiness and make everyone forget their normal day life and live in the moment with us”, Crissie promises.
“We will bring the fun and energy and we request you just make some memories which will include throwing your hands in the air and singing as loud as you can with us! We can’t wait to be right there with you all.”